A process for preparing a sausage meat emulsion

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing sausage in which the broth produced in the high-temperature wet-rendering of animal fat is combined with raw meat materials to form a sausage emulsion.

United States Patent Stump et al. Mar. 14, 1972 [54] A PROCESS FORPREPARING A :[56] References Cited SAUSAGE MEAT EMULSION UNHED STATESPATENTS lnvemorsr y Stump, Palatine; Paul Ford, 3,008,831 11/1961Christianson ..99/109 oss o bo f 111. 3,078,287 2/1963 Downing ..99/109x 3,210,041 8/1966 Artar et al .99/109 x [73] Assgnee' and Cmmy chcagm3,295,982 1/1967 Hickey et al. ..99/107 x [22 Filed: Mar. 14, 1969Primary ExaminerHyman Lord [21] Appl' 8072421 AttorneyCarl C. Batz andFrank T. Barber 52] us. 01.. 99/109 "[57] ABSTRACT [51] lnt.Cl ..A22c11/00 -A method for manufacturing sausage in which the broth [58] Fieldof Search ..99/107, 109, 7, 1s; 260/4l2.6 p odu d i the high-temperaturewet-rendering of animal fat is combined with raw meat materials to forma sausage emulsion.

7 Claims, No Drawings A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SAUSAGE MEAT EMULSIONBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the manufacture ofsausage products and especially to those sausage products which are madefrom a meat emulsion such as frankfurters, bologna and the like.

A meat emulsion for sausage generally consists of a protein and waterphase (the continuous phase) and a fat phase (the discontinuous phase).It is believed that the protein and water of the meat form a matrix thatencapsulates the fat protein. As is true with other emulsions, a meatemulsion may become unstable and break down. Temperature is asignificant factor in this regard, and temperatures in excess of 70 F.while preparing the emulsion are generally not acceptable.

The moisture or water in a meat emulsion may be derived wholly or inpart from the meat ingredients themselves, however, many products wouldbe dry and unpalatable if the moisture content were limited to thenatural moisture of the meat. It is therefore common practice in theindustry to add additional moisture to sausage emulsion products. Theamount of moisture which can be added is limited by the stabilitycharacteristics of the emulsion itself, and is also limited by U.S.Government standards. For example, current regulations prescribe thatthe moisture content in final cooked frankfurters may not exceed fourtimes the protein content plus percent.

Thus it can be seen that the problem posed to the sausage industryinvolved the proper balance of the aforementioned requirements; that is,to provide for the addition of the correct amount of moisture whilecontrolling the temperature of the emulsion, and at the same maintainingthe appropriate ratio of protein content to moisture content. Thetechnique most widely, if not universally, used in the industry tosatisfy these requirements is to select meat raw materials ofsufficiently high protein levels and to add the moisture in the form ofice. Thus the ice performs the dual function of moisture addition andtemperature control.

Although the foregoing procedure has been widely accepted, it haslimitations which are alleviated or eliminated in the method of thepresent invention. Perhaps the most significant limitation of theaforementioned procedure is the difficulty of increasing moisturecontent while maintaining an acceptable moisture to protein ratio. Asice or water, which contains no protein, is added, the moisture contentincreases but the moisture to protein ratio also increases. Toreestablish the required moisture to protein ratio, protein must beadded. However, in a sausage emulsion the available protein source isthe meat raw material which is a solid material. Therefore although theaddition of solid meat material will decrease the moisture to proteinratio, it will also decrease the total moisture percentage. The presentinvention provides a solution to this multifaceted problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION We have discovered that the moisture contentand the moisture to protein ratio of sausage can be more readilycontrolled in a method of sausage manufacture, and it is an object ofthe present invention to facilitate the control of the aforementionedelements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method ofsausage preparation in which the protein content of the sausage can beincreased without increasing the proportion of meat raw materials.

In the method of the present invention, the broth from high temperaturewet rendering of animal fat is collected and rapidly cooled to less than100 F. The solid meat and fat raw materials are collected and chopped.The broth temperature may be adjusted as necessary and the broth addedto the meat and fat solids which are then chopped to form a meatemulsion. The finished emulsion may be stuffed into sausage casings.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the preferred embodiments, brothis collected from the high-temperature wet-rendering of animal fat,particularly beef or pork fat. In this type of rendering, the fatmaterial is placed into tanks or kettles into which live steam isusually introduced. The heat from the steam causes the fat to berendered or cooked out, the fat being separated for use as lard in thecase of pork fat, or as edible tallow in the case of beef fat. As theheat is transferred from the steam, it condenses out to form a tankbroth containing dissolved protein.

The rendering process may be carried out in a wide range of temperaturesand pressures which vary with the particular installation or technique.In general, high-temperature wetrendering includes temperatures of aboutF. to 325 F. and corresponding pressures of IS to 60 p.s.i. The animalfat should be rendered in the presence of moisture at a temperature ofat least 200 F., and preferably at a temperature of about 250-325 F.,and at a pressure of 40-60 p.s.i. Pork fat is preferably rendered in thepresence of steam at a temperature in excess of 220 F.

While the foregoing generally describes high-temperature wet-renderingtechniques as they are presently practiced, it will be understood thatthe invention is not limited to a broth produced by that specificmethod. Rather the invention includes an equivalent broth which may beproduced by the high-temperature rendering of fat in the presence ofmoisture wherein the moisture does not function as the heat source as itdoes in the case of steam. That is, the broth may be produced in aprocess wherein added moisture and fat are heated together by anexternal source of heat.

The condensate broth from the wet-rendering contains signifrcant amountsof useful protein. In the case of broth from beef fat rendering, theprotein content was found to be about 4-5 percent. In the case of brothfrom pork fat rendering, the protein content was found to be about 10-14percent. While we have found that the broth from either beef or pork fatrendering can be used in the present process, it is preferred to use thepork fat broth because of its higher protein content.

When the broth is recovered from the wet-rendering process, it is quitehot, generally in the range of about F.220 F. We have discovered thatthe broth must be rapidly cooled to 100 F. or lower in order to be usedin the practice of the present method. The broth temperature should belowered to about 100 F. or less within 3 to 4 hours after it isrecovered from the rendering tanks. Preferably the broth is cooled to100 F. or below within llb.hours after removal from the tanks. It willbe understood that the broth may be chilled even more rapidly ifnecessary chilling equipment is available. The broth may be rapidlychilled to a temperature of at least 40 F.

The broth may be placedin a blast freezer at about 5 to l0 F., stirringat intervals, preferably until the broth temperature is about 60 F. Itwill be understood however that any means of rapid cooling may be usedsuch as a heat exchanger, plate freezer or the like. If desired thebroth may be cooled further by continued blast freezing, or subjected tonormal refrigeration after the initial cooling. For example, when fresh,unfrozen meat and fat ingredients are used, we prefer to use a brothtemperature in the range of 30-60 F., and particularly in the range of3036 F.

In a preferred embodiment of the present method, raw meat and fatmaterials are initially ground or chopped and mixed. The raw materialsused can be any meat or fat item commonly used in sausage meat emulsionsincluding:

Picnic Trimmings Boneless Beef Plates Beef Cheeks Skinless Bellies JowlsBoneless Chucks Boneless Flanks Boneless Butts Boneless Hams BonelessLoins It will be understood that the above-mentioned items areillustrative only and that other meat or fat items can be used,including poultry pieces.

The meat and fat materials may be placed into a chopper and the chilledbroth added. Any desired spices and cures may also be added at thistime. The chopping of the ingredients is continued, adding broth asnecessary, until a stable meat emulsion is produced. Ice may also beadded during the chopping process in order to maintain the temperatureof the emulsion within desired limits. Generally, an emulsiontemperature of 40-70 F., is preferred. The amount of ice, if any, whichmay be added depends upon the initial temperature of the chilled broth,the temperature of the meat and fat ingredients, and the heat generatedin the chopping step.

The meat emulsion can be stuffed into various casings for frankfurters,bologna, and the like. Alter ordinary cooking, the finished product hasexcellent flavor, color and texture. Moreover, the product produced bythe present methods has an increased protein content of about 1-2percent compared to similar product prepared from equal ingredients butwithout the broth. The moisture to protein ratios of the productsprepared by the present method were well within acceptable ranges, andlower than that found in similar products prepared without the broth.

Broth may be added in proportions compatible with the end productdesired, the moisture to protein ratio desired, the percent proteindesired and the like. In the manufacture of frankfurters, for example,we prefer to use the broth in a proportion of about lbs. to about 40lbs. per 100 lbs. of meat and fat solid ingredients. Excellent resultshave been obtained using a proportion of 20 lbs. of broth per 100 lbs.of meat and fat solid ingredients.

Other preferred embodiments of the present invention can be understoodwith reference to the following illustrative examples:

EXAMPLE I A control sample was prepared, without the use of broth ascalled for in the present process, in order to establish a comparison offinished product. The control was prepared as follows:

Meat and fat ingredients were prepared by grinding and blending leanpicnic trimmings, boneless beef plates, beef cheek meat, skinless porkbellies and beef decides. Four-hundred and fifty pounds (450 lbs.) ofthe ground and blended raw material was placed into a Boss Silent Cutterto which was added 75 lbs. of ice and salt, spices and cures. Themixture was chopped to 40 F. and 25 lbs. of rework frankfurters wasadded. Twenty-one pounds (21 lbs.) of cold water was added slowly andthe mixture chopped to 58 F. Thirty pounds (30) of ice was chopped inand the meat emulsion was transferred to a Griffith Mince Master and thefinal emulsification was carried out. The emulsion was stuffed intocasings and cooked.

The emulsion was stable and the final product had good color, flavor,texture and peelability. An analysis disclosed that the productcontained 50.0 percent moisture and 10.9 percent protein, for a moistureto protein ratio of 4.59 to 1.

EXAMPLE 11 Fresh pork fat was placed into lard rendering tanks andrendered with steam from 280 i i-300 F. at 50-60 psi. for about 2%hours. The resulting broth was drawn off and placed in a blast chillerat about 8 F. The broth was stirred at about l5-minute intervals untilthe temperature reached 60 F. At this point the stirring was stopped andthe broth temperature lowered to 30 F. The broth was found to containabout 12.5 percent protein.

Four-hundred and fifty pounds (450 lbs.) of the ground and blended rawmaterial prepared as in Example I were placed into a Boss Silent Cutterto which was added 53 lbs. of ice, 40 lbs. of broth, and salt, spicesand cures. The mixture was chopped to 40 F. and 25 lbs. of reworkfrankfurters was added. Thirty pounds (30 lbs.) of broth was addedslowly and the mixture chopped to 60 F. Twenty (20) pounds of ice and 20pounds of broth was then added and chopped in. The meat emulsion wastransferred to a Griffith Mince Master and the final emulsification wascarried out. The emulsion was stuffed into casings and cooked in theusual manner.

The product was found to have good color, flavor, texture andpeelability. The product was analyzed and found to have a 51.4 percentmoisture content and a 12.0 percent protein content for a moisture toprotein ratio of 4.28 to 1.

EXAMPLE lll Four-hundred and fifty pounds (450 lbs.) of meat and fat rawmaterials prepared as in Example I were placed in a Boss Silent Cutterwith 36 lbs. of ice and 50 lbs. of broth prepared as in Example ll.Salt, spices and cures were added and the mixture was chopped to 40 F.Twenty-five pounds (25 lbs.) of rework frankfurters was added and themixture chopped to 56 F. Forty pounds (40 lbs.) of broth was added andmixed in. The emulsion was transferred to a Grifiith Mince Master andemulsification was completed.

The emulsion, which was not quite as stable as the control, was stuffedinto casings and cooked. The product was of satisfactory flavor andtexture and contained 49.2 percent moisture and 12.4 percent protein.The moisture to protein ratio was 3.97 to 1.

EXAMPLE IV A control sample was prepared without the use of broth ascalled for in the present process. Lean picnic trimmings, beef plates,beef cheek meat, skinless pork bellies and pork jowls were ground andblended to form meat and fat raw material. Four-hundred and fifty pounds(450 lbs.) of the raw material was placed in a Boss Silent Cutter with75 lbs. of ice and chopped to 40 F. Salt, spices and cures were addedduring the chopping step. Twenty-five pounds (25 lbs.) of reworkfrankfurters was added and 21 lbs. of cold water was slowly added andthe mixture chopped to 58 F. Thirty pounds (30 lbs.) of ice was addedand chopped in. The emulsion was transferred to a Griffith Mince Masterand final emulsification was carried out.

The emulsion was of good stability and the finished stuffed and cookedproduct had good flavor and texture. The moisture content was 51.75percent and the protein content was 10.9 percent. The moisture toprotein ratio was 4.75 to 1.

EXAMPLE V Fresh beef fat was placed into rendering tanks and steamrendered as in Example H. The resulting broth was drawn oh and put in ablast chiller at 7 F. The broth was stirred as it chilled to 60 F andthen chilled to about 32 F. An analysis of the broth indicated a proteincontent of about 4.85 percent.

Meat and fat raw materials prepared as in Example IV was placed in aBoss Silent Cutter along with ice, broth, salt, spices and cures.Four-hundred and fifty pounds (450 lbs.) of meat raw material, 36 lbs.of ice and 50 lbs. of beef fat broth were used. The mixture was choppedto 40 F., 25 lbs. of rework frankfurters were added, and the mixture waschopped to 56 F. Forty pounds (40 lbs.) of broth was added and choppedin. The emulsion was then transferred to a Griffith Mince Master and theemulsification was completed. The emulsion was stable and the finishedcooked product had good color, texture and peelability. The moisture toprotein content was 4.66 to l. The moisture content was 52.2 percent andthe protein content was 1 1.2 percent.

As can be seen in the foregoing examples the product prepared with thebroths had a moisture to protein ratio which was lower than the controlsamples even though the products prepared with the broths had a highermoisture content than the control samples, except for the product ofExample 111. However, even though the moisture content of the product inExample lll was somewhat lower than the control, the moisture to proteinratio was also very low.

While in the foregoing specification the method of the form a meatemulsion. present invention has been set forth in considerable detail,it 2. The process of claim 1 in which said moisture is inwill beunderstood that the method can be varied widely by troduced assteam.those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the 3. Theprocess of claim 1 in which said broth is chilled to a invention whichis defined in the appended claims. 5 temperature of about 30-36 F.

We claim: 4. The process of claim 1 in which said broth is added in thel. A process for preparing a sausage meat emulsion com- Proportion about20 Pound8 ofbl'oth P loo Pounds ofsaid prising the steps of renderinganimal fat in the presence of meatmoisture at temperatures of aboutl85325 F. whereby a The Process of claim 1 in which the temperature ofSaid water and dissolved protein broth is f d during said 10 ground meatand broth mixture is maintained at about 4070 rendering, recovering andrapidly chilling said broth within F10 fomlameat about 4 hours to atemperature less than 100 F and mixing The Process of clam} 1 In Y lt mdanimal fat ls pork fat. Said broth and ground meat in a proportion ofabout 10,40 7. The process of claim 1 in which said meat emulsion 18pounds of broth per 100 pounds of said meat while maintain- Stuffed acasmg to form a sausage' ing the temperature of the mixture at achilling temperature to

2. The process of claim 1 in which said moisture is introduced as steam.3. The process of claim 1 in which said broth is chilled to atemperature of about 30*-36* F.
 4. The process of claim 1 in which saidbroth is added in the proportion of about 20 pounds of broth per 100pounds of said meat.
 5. The process of claim 1 in which the temperatureof said ground meat and broth mixture is maintained at about 40*-70* F.to form a meat emulsion.
 6. The process of claim 1 in which said animalfat is pork fat.
 7. The process of claim 1 in which said meat emulsionis stuffed into a casing to form a sausage.